Advergaming has been a successful marketing method for a number of years, some of the biggest marketing campaigns we’ve seen from as early as 1979 have been advergames. The Atari Luna Landing is thought to be the first advergame, as it featured a hidden McDonald’s restaurant.

What is the difference between advergaming and gamification?

Advergames have strategically placed advertisements for a product, company or service within a video game and are designed to capture the attention of the player or target audience. The adverts tend to be subtle and placed in real-world scenarios; during game play an organisation’s logo may be featured or, depending on the type of game a comment referencing a business or product may be made.

Gamification differs because it focuses on utilising the dynamics of a game to influence the user’s behaviour and encourage them to complete tasks such as make a purchase or complete a survey. A great example of a gamification campaign is the Nike + app – it tracks the running activity of the user and displays their achievements, whilst allowing the end user to compete with their friends and colleagues, and against anyone else who has the app.

What are the benefits of advergaming?

Using advergaming as a marketing tool for your product or service is a great way to raise brand awareness. Game play usually happens during free time so players will often have increased levels of concentration and longer gaming sessions – the gaming industry has one of the biggest audience reaches of any market, it’s estimated to be somewhere between 2.2 and 2.6 billion people, giving you increased opportunities to connect with players.

Although there are more promotional opportunities with advergaming then most traditional marketing campaigns, there is an increased risk of overcrowding games with too many adverts and driving the players attention away. Adverts that are strategically placed and in more realistic situations give you a better chance of boosting the effectiveness of your advert – advergaming isn’t an aggressive marketing method so your users are more likely to respond to your adverts in a more positive way.

There is no handbook when it comes predicting to the successfulness of an advergame campaign, however research and social sharing mechanics all help towards the possibility of your advergame going viral and reaching a wider audience.

If you’re thinking of creating an advergame for your next marketing campaign and are looking for a development partner or you just need some help, get in touch with us at www.bluebeck.co.uk